Mitt Romney slugs it out with Barack Obama to the last round

IT may look as if Mitt Romney has landed the killer blow on Barack Obama, but the polls yesterday told another story.

The President appeared to be heading for a second term in the White House – by the narrowest of margins.

As he arrived in his home city of Chicago ahead of the result, expected in the early hours of tomorrow morning, most pollsters gave him a bare 1.3 per cent lead over his Republican rival.

The intensity of the battle was reflected in the mock-up photo, showing Romney landing a punch on Obama in the boxing ring. The image was created by British artist and photographer Alison Jackson 42, renowned for her spoofs of the rich and famous.

Obama’s small lead came from an average of a dozen national opinion polls taken early yesterday. Allowing for margins for error in polling, that made the race a dead heat.

But the President was boosted by a new YouGov poll of more than 36,000 Americans in 27 states giving him two per cent of the popular vote, and 303 Electoral College votes to Romney’s 235. To secure victory, 270 Electoral College votes are needed.

We are going to win this election. Obama said he wanted to be the outsider in American politics – well we’ll make sure he is after you’ve all voted

Mitt Romney

In one of the bitterest election campaigns in recent history the President’s widely praised handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is thought to have given him a last-minute boost.

The aftermath of the superstorm meant some voters in outlying parts of New York had to vote in tents and other makeshift polling stations yesterday as New York, New Jersey remained storm ravaged.

Both candidates embarked on a frantic last-minute tours of the closest-fought battleground states.

Mr Obama began the day in Madison, Wisconsin, with a concert by Bruce Springsteen.

The veteran rocker then travelled with the President all day, following him to his second spot in Columbus, Ohio, where Obama was joined on stage by rapper Jay-Z.

The President finished the day in Des Moines, Iowa before heading to Chicago, where he was a Senator before being elected to the White House.

Mr Romney managed to travel to four states in a final attempt to stir up support.

The former Massachusetts governor began the day in the important swing state of Florida, belittling Mr Obama’s promises of four years ago.

He told supporters: “We are going to win this election. Obama said he wanted to be the outsider in American politics – well we’ll make sure he is after you’ve all voted.”

After Florida he flew to Ohio, New Hampshire and Virginia.

Mr Romney is just ahead in opinion polls in Florida.

But the most sensitive battleground state is Ohio and Mr Obama is five points ahead in polls there. His bail-out of the US car industry after the financial crisis and recession of 2008 threatened to bankrupt General Motors and Chrysler is a key factor in his support in Ohio.

Mr Romney – and even some Obama advisers – were against a bail-out and declared that Chrysler should be allowed to go bankrupt.

Mr Romney badly needs Ohio. No Republican has ever reached the White House without winning the state.

But if he could spring a surprise, such as winning Pennsylvania, then he may yet have the capacity to come through as the victor.

The election is the most expensive in history with both candidates each having spent around $1billion (£626million).